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EmilyH - Erie Canal
The Erie Canal The Erie Canal, proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, created a navigable waterway linking the Hudson River near Buffalo to Lake Erie for the purpose of shipping products produced in this area to various regions for low cost. After construction, the Erie Canal proved it was worth the investment and paid for itself in only 9 years. Changes have occurred to the canal over the years but it still remains a historical reminder of the westward immigration movement. Need for the Erie Canal By the year 1810, Western New York was primarily all settled and new immigrants were looking for more land available for opportunity and growth, including farming and job opportunities. Therefore, New England Immigrants began to look in other regions including the region east of the Appalachian Mountains which was known for its fertile soil and easy access to cheap electricity from the natural water power sites nearby. The major limiting factor for growth was the lack of access to waterways which were required in order to ship crops, produce and manufactured products more effectively and to link producers and their products to large ports where their products could be shipped into other regions. For this region to continue to grow, a shipping canal was crucial. The low, flat land of the Lake Ontario Plain provided the region a natural path for creating a canal. With the support from Governor Dewitt Clinton and from the state legislature, $7 million dollars in funding was allotted to allow for a survey and construction of a canal that would eventually lead a waterway linking the eastern producers in New York to consumers throughout various regions by providing access for shipping through the Erie Design of the original Erie Canal The primary use of the canal was for shipping therefore the design needed to provide deep enough waters to allow for barges to navigate. The resulting Erie Canal had a depth of 4 feet, width of 28 feet at the base, top waterline width of 40 feet across and a total length of 363 miles spanning from the Hudson River near Buffalo to Lake Erie. In order to raise water levels allowing barges to enter the Erie Lake, locks were built, 5 in total around Lockport to solve this problem. Barges were pulled by big, strong animals including mules, oxen, and horses but needed a clear path. To accommodate room for the animals, a 10 foot wide strip was cleared of any obstacles on the water’s edge allowing easy access to the animals by the boat driver. Changes in the Erie Canal Later, between the years of 1836 and 1862 growth continued in New York and a larger canal was required to keep pace with increasing shipping traffic. The depth of the canal increased from 4 feet to 7 feet while increasing in width from 40 feet to 70 feet. This allowed for larger barges and ships weighing up to 240 tons the ability to navigate the channel which was an increase in carrying capacity of 210 tons from the original design of the canal. Other changes to the depth and width of the channel began during 1903 and finished in 1910 when yet again when the channel depth was increased from 7 feet to 12-14 feet while increasing the width to a range from 120 to 200 feet. This time, the original Erie Canal was not used entirely but included sections from the New York State Canal system made up of the canals of the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Champlain, and the Oswego. The Erie Canal Today Now, part of the New York State Canal System, the Erie Canal is primarily used for recreation and pleasure. In total, 57 locks through the system are in working condition, kept up for many reasons but primarily for the canal’s history since it encouraged westward migration during the early 1800’s and is a tourist attraction providing more than 2,500 places for families and vacationers to enjoy learning about the history of the Erie Canal. References Hudson, J. C. (2002). New York and Ontario. Across this land, 5, (pp.70-71). Baltimore, MA: John Hopkins University Press. Sadowski, F.E., “Clinton’s Big Ditch”, n.d., Retrieved May, 28, 2010, http://www.eriecanal.org/. The Erie Canal: A Brief History, n.d., Retrieved May 28, 28, 2010, http://www.nyscanals.gov/cculture/history/.